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Hi, I'm VOA's Alexis Strope with your worldwide news update.
The Lebanese Army says two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others hurt in an airstrike. AP correspondent Charles De Ledesma reports. As Israeli troops had made their first forays across the border and Hezbollah responded with rocket fire, Lebanese soldiers withdrew from observation posts and moved around four miles back. On Friday, a spokesperson said two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli strike that hit a building near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Kafra, Bint Jbeil province. And on October 3, a Lebanese soldier was killed and another injured in an Israeli strike in Taybeh during rescue operations. I'm Charles De Ledesma. Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a warning to countries that have nuclear weapons not to use them. Many survivors of the only two nuclear bombs ever to be used in conflict, who are known in Japanese as "hibakusha," have dedicated their lives to the struggle for a nuclear-free world. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday issued a statement saying, "They're an inspiration to our shared efforts to build a world free of nuclear weapons." U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu echoed that statement. "These hibakushas are very brave and decided to share their catastrophic experiences to the world public in order for the world to make movements towards peace and nuclear disarmament." Data from Japan's Health Ministry showed there were 106,825 atomic bomb survivors registered in the country as of March this year, with an average age of 85.6 years. This is VOA News. Police said dozens of attackers armed with guns, rockets and hand grenades stormed a cluster of small private coal mines in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, slaying some miners in their sleep and shooting others after lining them up, killing at least 21. Christy Kilburn from Reuters reports. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. One mine owner told Reuters the attackers burned down 10 mines along with equipment and machinery, adding that they had been receiving threats from militants for some time. The attacks took place in the mineral-rich Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region. Pakistan's prime minister said in a statement the government was, quote, "determined to root out all forms of terrorism." Reuters correspondent Christy Kilburn. Boeing is announcing layoffs. The giant aircraft maker said Friday it will lay off about 10 percent of its workers, about 17,000 people, in the coming months. The company has been losing money for more than five years, and now it's dealing with a strike that has shut down factories in the Seattle area. New CEO Kelly Ortberg says in a memo to staff that the job cuts over the coming months will include executives, managers and employees. Mozambique's electoral body says voting has been extended until Saturday in some areas and in one overseas spot because material didn't arrive on time. Most of the country completed voting Wednesday and is now waiting for results. VOA's Nairobi bureau chief Mariama Diallo has the story from the Mozambican capital. National Electoral Commission spokesperson Paulo Cuinica told reporters on Friday that voting did not take place in some districts of Zambezia province in central Mozambique. He said it was partly due to problems getting voting materials in time to vote Wednesday. As a result, Cuinica said voting is being extended in affected areas. Now Mozambique awaits the results from this, the country's seven(th) general elections since the advent of multiparty democracy 30 years ago. The first official results from the National Electoral Commission could come as early as Saturday. Mariama Diallo, VOA News, Maputo, Mozambique. The latest solar storm has triggered northern lights farther south than normal, including into parts of Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City. There were no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communication from Thursday's storm. The sun is near the peak of its current 11-year cycle, sparking all the recent solar activity. In May, Earth got slammed by severe solar storms, the strongest in more than two decades. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |